Hard Boiled Eggs – More Than You Ever Wanted to Know

This is what the experts say!  I say – take your chances and hope for the best.  Always boil a few extra just in case.  Use not farm fresh, room temperature eggs.  Peel them at room temperature, not cold from the fridge.  For altitude, add 5 minutes to boil/wait time.

Check the internet – there are directions for every other cooking device you can name.

How to Make Hard-Boiled Eggs That Are Actually Easy to Peel
Because no one has time to spend 15 minutes peeling an egg.

Why can’t all hard-boiled eggs be easy-peel hard-boiled eggs? For a food that seems so simple to make (eggs + water), boiled eggs can be utterly infuriating—especially when it comes to the peeling. You’ve been there: All that’s standing between you and egg korma (or egg salad) is a bunch of just-boiled eggs and yet it’s taking you 15 minutes to peel each one and you’re removing huge gashes of white with every tiny shard of stubborn shell. It’s enough to drive you mad, even if you aren’t very, very hungry.

The truth of the matter is that making easy-peel hard-boiled (or soft-boiled!) eggs starts well before you get to the peeling. It begins with the eggs you choose, how you cook them, and how to treat them once your timer (yes, you must set a timer) dings. For eggs with yellow yolks set to your liking and pearly, smooth, unblemished exteriors, follow these guidelines for how to make hard-boiled eggs:

  1. Don’t use super-fresh eggs.  Farm-fresh eggs are going to be harder to peel—it’s a matter of their particular chemistry. To minimize frustration, save those straight-from-the-hen eggs for frying and scrambling and use a carton from the grocery store when you’re boiling.
  1. Start the eggs in boiling water.  Eggs added to boiling water rather than brought to a boil in the pot along with the cold water will be easier to peel. Plus, when you’re boiling eggs with the intention of jamminess—say, for soy-marinated eggs, this method allows for more precise timing. (Otherwise, you’ll have to watch closely to observe the exact moment the water comes to a boil.)  The biggest risk with adding eggs to boiling water is that they’ll crack and end up deflated and lopsided. To minimize that risk, scoot them in gingerly, using a spoon, then maintain a gentle simmer rather than a vigorous bubble so that they don’t knock around in the pot. Cook up to 8 eggs in a 2-quart saucepan—more than that and they might butt heads and crack open.
  1. Set a timer.  That’s 7 minutes for jammy eggs with firm but gooey yolks, 10 minutes for cooked through (but not chalky). If you’re using XL or jumbo eggs, you’ll need a bit more time.
  1. Use an ice bath.  Unless you halt their cooking, that timer was for naught. Let the eggs hang out in the cold water for a couple of minutes, until they’re just cool enough to handle, 2–3 minutes.  Using an ice bath helps halt the cooking process. Carry-over-cooking, be gone!
  1. Peel the eggs under the water while they’re still slightly warm. This keeps the pesky shells—which should slip off fairly easily—contained. It also helps if you crack the egg at the fattest end, where you’ll find the air pocket, and peel from there. If you’re still having trouble, peeling eggs under a running faucet can help the shells slide off.

Keep any eggs you won’t be using right away unpeeled, though—they’ll last longer that way!—and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Source:  Bon Appetite, Sarah Jampel

Classic Hard Boiled Eggs on the Stovetop

This is the old-fashioned straight up way of hard-boiling eggs. Water and heat—that’s all you need. And a kitchen timer. Just cover the eggs with water, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let the eggs sit for about ten minutes.

  • Method:
  • Cover the eggs in a saucepan with water.
    Fill a saucepan about a quarter of the way with cold water. Place the eggs in a single layer at
    the bottom of the saucepan. Add more water so that the eggs are covered by at least an inch
    or two of water.
    The more eggs that are crowding the pan the more water you should have over the eggs. 6
    eggs should be covered by at least an inch, 7 to 12 eggs, 2 inches.
  • Heat the pot on high heat and bring the water to a full rolling boil.
    Adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the water may help keep egg whites from running out if an
    egg does crack while cooking. Also some people find adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the water
    helps prevent cracking as well as making the eggs easier to peel.
  • Turn off the heat, keep the pan on the hot burner, cover, and let sit for 10-12 minutes.
    If you have the type of stove burner that doesn’t retain heat when turned off, you might want
    to lower the temp to low, simmer for a minute, and then turn it off.
    Depending on how cooked you like your hard boiled eggs, the eggs should be done perfectly
    in 10-12 minutes. That said, depending on your altitude, the shape of the pan, the size of the
    eggs, the ratio of water to eggs, it can take a few minutes more.
    Or if you like your eggs not fully hard cooked, it can take a few minutes less. When you find a
    time that works for you, given your preferences, the types of eggs you buy, your pots, stove,
    and cooking environment, stick with it.
    If I’m cooking a large batch of eggs, after 10 minutes I’ll sacrifice one to check for doneness,
    by removing it with a spoon, running it under cold water, and cutting it open. If it’s not done
    enough for my taste, I’ll cook the other eggs a minute or two longer.
    I also find that it is very hard to overcook eggs using this method. I can let the eggs sit,
    covered, for up to 15-18 minutes without the eggs getting overcooked.
  • Strain the water from the pan and run cold water over the eggs to cool them quickly and stop
    them from cooking further
    Or, if you are cooking a large batch of eggs, remove them with a slotted spoon to a large bowl
    of ice water.
    I find it easiest to peel the eggs under a bit of running water.
    The best way to store hard boiled eggs is in a covered container in the refrigerator. Eggs can
    release odors in the fridge which is why it helps to keep them covered.
    They should be eaten within 5 days.
  • Pros: Simple and doesn’t require any special equipment
  • Con: Sometimes eggs are hard to peel, especially farm-fresh eggs
  • Best for: Easter eggs or egg salad

Steamed Hard Boiled Eggs

To do this, place the eggs in a steamer basket in a pan with about an inch of water, then steam for about ten minutes.

  • Method:
  • Prepare pot and steamer basket:  If you are using a steamer basket, fill a saucepan with as much water as needed to reach the bottom of the steamer basket (about 1 inch or so). If you are not using a steamer basket, just fill the bottom of a saucepan with 1/2 inch of water.
  • Heat water to boiling.  Heat the water on high heat until it is boiling and producing steam. 
  • Turn off the heat
  • Add eggs to pot:  Gently place the eggs at the bottom of the steamer basket or the bottom
    of the pan.
  • Turn the heat back on again to medium high, and cover the pot.  This method works best if the eggs are in a single layer, but you can double them up as well, you’ll just need to add more time to the steaming time.
  • Set your timer and steam the eggs:  Set your timer for 6 minutes for soft boiled, 10 minutes for hard boiled with a still translucent and bright yolk, or 12-15 minutes for cooked-through hard boiled. If you have doubled up the eggs in the pan and they are not in a single layer, you may need to add a couple minutes or so to the cooking time for hard boiled.
    Note that many things will influence the steaming time, including altitude and the size of the
    particular eggs you are using.
  • Remove eggs to a bowl of icy cold water:  Remove eggs with a spoon to a bowl of cold water or ice water, or run cold water directly into the pan to cover the eggs and quickly cool them down.
  • Pros: Great for making easy-to-peel eggs with farm-fresh eggs
  • Cons: Can only cook about 6 eggs at once (more are ok, but the cooking time can be less predictable)
  • Best for: Deviled eggs, pickled eggs, salads like Nicoise salad
Source:   Simply Recipes, Carrie Havranek

Easy Hard Boiled Eggs (in oven)

Making hard boiled eggs in the oven AKA Baked Hard Boiled Eggs is a foolproof method for perfect hard boiled eggs every time!

Method:

  • First, preheat oven to 325ºF.
  • Place 12 large eggs (straight out of the fridge) into a muffin tin.
  • Bake at 325ºF for 25-32 minutes:
    25 minutes: Medium with a jelly consistency and hard to peel
    27 minutes: Moist, fully cooked, a little hard to peel
    30 minutes: Fully cooked and easier to peel
    32 minutes: Fully cooked, chalky consistency, and easiest to peel
  • While your eggs are baking, create your ice water bath. Fill a large bowl with water and then add ice.
  • Once your eggs are done cooking, remove the muffin tin from the oven and immediately transfer eggs into the ice water bath for 10 minutes. This will make the eggs easier to peel and prevent the yolk from changing color.
  • After 10 minutes, remove eggs from ice bath and either store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or peel and eat immediately.
    Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

Source:  Fit Foodie

How to Make Boiled Eggs in the Microwave
Method:

  • Add 2 to 6 eggs in the bottom of a microwave safe bowl.
  • Cover the eggs with water at least 1/2 inch above the eggs.
  • Add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt for each egg (1 teaspoon for 2 eggs and 3 teaspoons for 6 eggs.)
  • Microwave for 4 minutes for 2 eggs, 5 minutes for 4 eggs, 6 minutes for 6 eggs.
  • Fill another bowl with ice and water or cold water.
  • If you want soft boiled eggs with runny egg yolks, immediately remove the eggs from the water and
  • plunge in a ice cold water.
    If you want hard boiled eggs, allow them to stay in the hot water for 2-3 additional minutes. Two minutes will give you just slightly creamy egg yolks. Three minutes will give you firm egg yolks.

Source:  Just Microwave It.

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